Eva Longoria is more than just a beautiful actress; she’s also a mother.
The 51-year-old welcomed her son Santiago eight years ago with her husband of 10 years, José Bastón. She waited until her 40s to welcome her first and only child, but she has said she has no regrets about becoming a mom later in life.
Now, Longoria’s son is old enough to discover his mother’s on-screen work, including roles Longoria would rather kept hidden from him.
“Desperate Housewives” was a hit show on ABC from 2004-2012.
Longoria, who plays the model-turned-housewife, Gabrielle Solis, told People how she has forbidden her son from watching her breakout role.
Longoria admitted that Santiago has come across memes of her character on YouTube and how he’s become a bit “obsessed” with Gabrielle.
“So lately I’ve been seeing a lot just because of him discovering it,” she told People in an interview published on Aug. 29.
She said, “He asks, ‘Mom, when can I watch it?’ And I’m like, ‘Never.’”
Longoria’s protectiveness is understandable because her character had a steamy storyline in the first season.
Solis, a housewife in her 20s, began an affair with her 16-year-old gardener after growing bored with her home life and husband, Carlos.
Eva Longoria revela que seu filho ficou “obcecado” pelos memes de sua personagem em “Desperate Housewives”:
— Séries em Cena (@seriesemcena) August 31, 2026
“Ultimamente, tenho visto muitos memes disso só porque ele descobriu. Ele me pergunta: ‘Mãe, quando posso assistir?’ E eu respondo: ‘Nunca’.” pic.twitter.com/Po2sPCHsKh
Carlos grew suspicious of the affair but took time to identify the mystery man. He eventually landed in jail after beating up the wrong man. His character’s mother tried to help her son get to the truth until she was struck by a car.
The secret came out that same season when the gardener, played by Jesse Metcalfe, finally confessed and told Carlos what really happened.
The storyline also included steamy scenes between Longoria and Metcalfe, giving her son one more reason to stay away from the show for now.
In a 2024 interview with People, Metcalfe shared his memories of working alongside Longoria.
“There was a lot of making out,” he said. “There were a lot of sex scenes and a lot of making out between Eva and I. And although those scenes could be awkward at times, we were always laughing.”
He added, “So, we always had a great time. We didn’t take it too seriously, that’s for sure.”
In another steamy Season 2 scene, Longoria’s character undressed outside to convince her husband to retrieve intimate photos from an ex who posted them online.
In season 5, she surprises her husband Carlos by wearing lingerie when he gets home. She’s excited to be intimate, but he’s too tired. When Gabrielle persists, he pretends to “spice things up” by tying her up before going to bed.
Given these scenes and the show’s adult themes, Longoria understandably doesn’t want her 8-year-old son seeing her that way.
Fans responded to her rule in the comments section under People magazine’s article about Longoria and Santiago.
One said, “It’s not up to her lol… he will grow up and probably choose to watch it!”
Another person who seemed to think they knew what Longoria was trying to say, said, “It’s not a show for kids, is what she was getting at.”
A third person commented, “Shows are much worse now especially streaming. Desperate Housewives wasn’t that bad. He’ll privs puberty it one day and maybe finish it maybe not. Don’t make a big deal about it and he won’t.”
A fourth typed, “The show that made her ….”
“Protect his mental health mummy,” said a fifth.
Quand Gabrielle Solis alias Eva Longoria, retrouve son ancien jardinier John Rowland alias Jesse Metcalfe ! 🏡🍎 #DesperateHousewives pic.twitter.com/WhdsH66q4u
— GOSSIP ROOM (@GossipRoomOff) June 11, 2023
“Desperate Housewives” ran for eight seasons before ending in 2012.
Despite helping bring the show to life, Longoria confessed on the “Dinner’s On Me” podcast that she has never watched it.
Since the show’s resurgence and new audience due to streaming, she said, “I keep getting like notifications like, ‘Do you want to watch Housewives?'”
“I go, ‘No, I don’t. I’m fine. I made it,” Longoria replied.
After confirming she never watched the show during its original run, Longoria said she also has no interest in a reboot.
